The NHRA Nationals are about to get proceedings underway. This is drag racing at its jaw dropping best. The best drivers in the business line-up to compete in the biggest drag racing season of its kind every year. What started on a relatively small scale during the early parts of 1950 has now gone on to become the heartbeat of millions around the country. Nothing provides a more accurate indication of how popular these races are than the millions of NHRA Nationals tickets bought every year.
The Beginning
The creation of National Hot Rod Association, NHRA, was an idea that was conceived by none other than Wally Parks. He was a big motorsport enthusiast. One of his biggest passion in all of motorsports was drag racing so he decided to do something for the sport. Since drag racing wasn't professional back then, he decided to change that. That resulted in the formation of the NHRA, a drag racing governing entity that was to not only safeguard the interests of the people associated with the sport but also ensure that it remained in safe hands. That was a watershed moment, one that has gone on redefine the sport.
A lot of work still needed to be done to host a proper event. It took four years to get everything in order and the inaugural NHRA event kicked off proceedings in the year 1955. It was a roaring success which more than vindicated the decision to form the National Hot Rod Association. That was the start of a journey that has now gone on to rank NHRA sanctioned events among the most popular in the country today.
Evolution & Popularity
A total of twenty two different events are held every year during a NHRA Nationals season. As time has gone by, rules of the sport have changed as well over the years. That has been done to make the sport more interesting and also provide new improved safety measures to protect the drivers.
There are now more than twenty different types of events that test the skills of the drivers to the max. Most of these competitions combine to complete the NHRA Nationals calendar every year. The NHRA itself has witnessed tremendous increase in numbers. The organization currently boasts a roster consisting of over a whopping eighty thousand drivers. These are very impressive numbers indeed.
Experience
Drag racing is a unique sport in every sense of the word. You get an up close and personal of view of almost all that happens. People in the stands get to see the support staff preparing the cars, drivers getting ready, the excitement and the nervousness on the faces of every team member. All that combines to make it an experience, the likes of which no other sport on the planet offers. Such a birds-eye view gets the fans involved and gets their pulses racing even before the race starts.
NHRA Nationals are not underway to provide fans the experience that is synonymous with drag racing. The pressure has begun to mount on the drivers and their teams. The finish line is not too far away now and that fact alone is enough to test the mettle of even the best in the business. One thing is for sure, there are bound to be plenty of ups and downs before the season ends and that will make for compelling viewing right till the end.